Alexander mcdougald



' MoDOUGALD.

GAR COUPLING.

No. 429,358. Patented June 3,1890. v

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER MODOUGALD, or MADAWASKA sTATIoN, ONTARIO, oANADA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters PatentNo. 429,358, dated June 3, 1890.- Application filed March 28, 1890. Serial No. 345,729. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MCDOU- GALD, of Madawaska Station,in the Province of Ontario and Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oar-Couplings; and I do hereby declare that the following'is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in car-couplings; and it more particular-- ly relates to certain improvements on the carcoupling of my application, Serial No. 324,388, filed September 19,1889; and this present invention consists in certain novel features of construction, and in combinations of parts more fully described hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation of two approaching coupling-heads provided with my invention. Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the right-hand coupling-head of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a perspective of the rear upper portion of the head with the parts arranged as in Fig. 2.

In the drawings the reference-letter aindicates a coupling-head of the link-and-pin style carried by a draw-bar, as ordinarily. A vertically-swingin g frame or leverb embraces the front end of the coupling-head, and is pivoted to opposite sides of the same at c c. This frame extends adistance above the head, and also is provided with the inwardly-turned ends (1 (Z a distance below the head. The frame above the head is continuous and provided with the curved buffer-plate e at its upper end, secured to the upper end of said frame and extending downwardly therefrom, and'at its lower portion braced by the crossbar f, secured to the sides of the frame above the pin-hole of the coupling-head. This crossbar is provided with a recess in its rear edge. At one side of said recess an arm 9 extends rearwardly from the cross-bar, and a rightangled lever at its upper horizontal arm h is pivoted to said arm to swing horizontally and so that said horizontal arm will extend recess j to register with said recess of the cross-bar.

pivoted thereto at its rear end, while its free end extends forwardly through an opening Z,

in one side of said buffer-plate. On its under side this latch is provided with several notches to engage the lower edge of said opening, and thereby hold the same and the anglelever. The latch is yieldingly held against said lower edge by a coiled spring m, interposed between the upper edge of said latch and cross-barf. The latch normally projects forwardly beyond one side of the front of the buffer-plate, and on the opposite side of the front of said buffer a vertically-projecting lug or portion at is located, increasing in thickness from the top downward.

A vertically-swinging link-lifter 0 is located beneath the coupling-head and is'loosely carried at its rear end by a cross-bar carried by a band 17, embracing the coupling-head. This link-lifter extends forwardly and is bent up at its front end to engage and lift the link. At its rear ends the lifter is secured to a pair of slotted plates q q, curved on their rear edges. This lifter is held in its normal position by said inturned ends d, upon which the lifter normally rests out of the way below the open end of the coupling-head.

The operation of the device is as follows: The lever or frame l of the coupling-head containing the link I" (left-hand head, Fig. 1) is swung forward to its limit of movement, with its front end projecting a distance in front of the head, and with its lower ends thrown rearwardly behind the pivot-plates q of the link-lifter, allowing said link-lifter to drop, as shown. The frame or lever of the head to which the link is to be coupled is swung into an upright position, (see right hand head, Fig. 1,) the backward swing of the upper end of the frame being limited by the stops 1, so that the opening formed by the registering recesses in the cross-bar f and arm hwill be directly above the pin-hole The lower end of arm 11 of said lever has a vertically-movable spring-latch k.

of the coupling-head. The arm h of the lever is then held tightly against cross-bar f by pressing the latch forward through its opening in the buffer-plate so that its last notch will catch and hold the parts. The couplingpin .9 is then slipped down into the pin-hole through the opening formed by said recesses, and the pin will be held suspended by its head resting on cross-bar f and arm h. When the two bumpers come together, the top end of the left frame comes in contact with and is raised by the buffer of the rightframe, thereby immediately throwing up the free end of the link-lifter and lifting the link so as to enter the open end of the other head. As the heads come nearer together, the upper end of the raised portion on of the left couplerhead strikes upwardly against the projecting end of the pivoted spring-latch, thereby lifting and releasing the same and forcing it back, thereby swinging back the angle-lever and releasing and dropping the pin. As the operating-lever is swung back, its inturned lower ends bear against the rearcurved edges of the link-lifter plates, and then slips around beneath the lifter.

The lugs n are so shaped that they lift and throw the latches rearwardly.

What I claim is- 1. In a car-coupler, the combination of the swinging frame extending above and mounted on the head, and the pin holder and dropper 2. In a car-coupler, the combination of the vertically-swinging frame or lever having a cross-bar normally located above the pin-hole, and the pin holder and dropper consisting of an angle-lever to hold or drop the pin, pivoted to said cross-bar at one end to swing horizontally, and at its other end provided with a forwardly-extending spring-holding latch, as set forth.

3. In a ear-coupler, the combination of the swinging frame pivoted to and extending above the head and provided with a bufferplate, a tapered or curved lug or raised portion on one side of the front of said plate, and the pin holder and dropper consisting of a swinging lever provided with a pivoted latch extending forwardly through the opposite side of said buffer and provided with a spring to hold it down, as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALEXANDER MCDOUGALD.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN MGINTYRE, D. M. MOINTYRE. 

